Des Moines, Iowa (RI) — The Iowa Senate has voted to make a passing score on the US citizenship test a requirement for getting a high school diploma.
Republican Senator Jesse Green of Boone says the requirement would start for high school graduates in the 2026-27 school year.
A bipartisan group of 38 senators supported the bill. Senator Tony Bisignano (biz-ihg-NAH-noh) of Des Moines is one of the Democrats who voted for it. He recited something his father, who left Italy to escape fascism, told him years ago.
Senator Dan Dawson, a Republican from Council Bluffs, says it’s a non-partisan bill.
Senator Zach Wahls, a Democrat from Coralville, says every Iowa student should graduate with a knowledge of the values and principles of our democracy.
Seven Democrats in the Senate opposed the bill. Senator Art Staid of Cedar Rapids is a retired teacher and school administrator.
Senator Molly Donahue of Cedar Rapids, a teacher who works with at-risk students, says bill backers are looking for a quick fix, but aren’t addressing the deeper problem.
The bill must be passed by the House, too, before it goes to the governor — who backs the requirement that students score at least 60 percent on the citizenship test in order to graduate. There are 100 questions on the citizenship test, ranging from “who is the president?” to “Name one of the authors of the Federalist Papers.”
At least a dozen states require passage of some version of the citizenship test to earn a diploma.
KIWA Staff Photo
